January 22nd, 2025 | Native Grass Project Planning - 9am - 10am - Transforming an urban landscape with native grass takes time and careful planning for success. Learn about a proven project planning framework and timing that can be utilized for HOA boards, municipalities, parks, contractors, etc., to help prepare and plan for a native grass conversion. Join the meeting HERE.
January 22nd, 2025 | Water Conditions Monitoring Committee Meeting from 9:30-11am. The WCMC monitors conditions that affect Colorado’s water supply, including snowpack, reservoir storage, streamflow, historical climate norms, long term precipitation and temperature outlooks, and climate variations. Join the meeting HERE.
January 22nd, 2025 | MS4 Workgroup Quarterly Meeting with CDPHE - 11:30-1pm - Join us on Wednesday, 1/22. We are in person (still with a remote option) at MHFD in Lakewood (see address above). Topics will include: Construction Stormwater topics (Al Stafford), Clean Water 14 initiative update, updates on MS4 permits, and other topics. Click HERE to join the meeting.
January 23rd, 2025 | The Basics of Federal Grant Management: Financial Management and Compliance - 12:30-2pm - Does your organization receive funding through federal grants or agreements, or are you considering applying for federal opportunities in the future? The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network and the Watershed Research and Training Center are excited to partner with Kelley Nonprofit Consulting to offer a four-part series intended to help communities better understand key requirements for successfully managing federal funding. Webinars will cover budgeting for federal awards, expense and match tracking, procurement, and more! We’ll also leave plenty of time for Q&A with our knowledgeable presenters. Register HERE.
January 27th & 28th, 2025 | National Stormwater Center - Colorado CSI MS4 Webinar. Designed for Municipal personnel (MS4), this course will focus on permit regulations and compliance to restore and maintain the waters of the United States. Permits require certifying officials to select qualified stormwater personnel. Gain an in-depth understanding of stormwater permits, the six minimum control measures, how to conduct inspections, and the authority, demeanor, and discretion of stormwater inspectors to enhance your credentials.
February 11th, 2025 | Reusing Produced Water in Oil & Gas - In 2023, Colorado's legislature set up a new Colorado Produced Water Consortium through House Bill 1242. The bill required the Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) to create rules in order to reduce freshwater use and increase the use of recycled produced water in oil and gas operations. Those rules are now expected to be adopted in early February 2025. We'll learn about those new rules, hear about the Colorado Produced Water Consortium, and explore opportunities and challenges from the industry perspective. Register HERE.
February 12th, 2025 | Site Selection for Project Success - 9-10am - In this interactive session, we’ll explore the factors that make a site ideal for native grasses, the challenges that certain conditions can pose, and how to determine whether to modify a site or opt for a different type of landscaping. Gain insights from fellow attendees and share your own experiences to enhance everyone’s knowledge. Join the meeting HERE.
February 19th, 2025 | Wildlife Habitat Restoration Workshop - Mark your calendars for a free wildlife habitat and riverside restoration workshop for private landowners on February 19th at 5:30pm at CSU's Western Colorado Research Center - Orchard Mesa! Join RiversEdge West and Mesa Conservation District to learn about ongoing riverside restoration projects in the Grand Valley, how you can get involved or start restoration work on your land, and funding opportunities to support your restoration goals!Contact Christa (cbrown@riversedgewest.org) or the District (mesaconservationdistrict@gmail.com) for more information.
April 28th - 30th, 2025 | Colorado Growing Water Smart: Integrated Water and Land Use Planning Workshop - The Growing Water Smart workshop brings key community decision makers on water and land use planning together to collaborate on sustainable water use. The workshop utilizes a range of public engagement, planning, communication, and policy implementation tools to help community teams realize their water efficiency, watershed health, and water resilience goals. Application Deadline: February 28, 2025. Learn more HERE.
June 4th, 2025 | Aluminum Workgroup Meeting from 10 - 11:30am. Bob Gensemer will summarize this year's data and highlight any trends or findings. Any additional topics suggested by the workgroup will also be presented. Join the Zoom meeting HERE.
The Professional Water Studies Certificate is made up of three courses – Colorado Water and the American West, Water Law, and U.S. Water Concerns. Take just one that you’re interested in or all three to earn the certificate. Each course is four weeks long, online, and self-paced – allowing continuing education to fit within your busy schedule. Learn more or register HERE.
The Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices training is designed to increase the skills of the professional mitigation practitioner and individuals who run mitigation programs. Participation in the 9-week virtual course is not guaranteed as we endeavor to provide training to individuals who lead or have responsibility for community wildfire mitigation programs. Acceptance is on a per person basis and is not transferable to another person. If there are multiple people from an organization signing up please ensure they sign up individually. Please complete this form if you are interested in being considered for the CWMBP training. Application forms are accepted on a rolling basis and added to a review list. As we schedule new classes, we will email next-steps to everyone listed. For questions about upcoming class or for assistance with this form email wendie.warner@co-co.org. Fill out the interest form HERE.
EPA Office of Water's Understanding Climate Change Impact on Water Resources Module — The EPA Office of Water has recently updated and relaunched their Understanding Climate Change Impact on Water Resources Module. This module explains the causes of climate change, its potential impacts on water resources, and the challenges water resource managers face. It was produced by EPA’s Watershed Academy, which publishes educational webinars and publications about watershed management. The updated module reflects the findings of the Fifth National Climate Assessment (2023) and Office of Water's Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan (2022). Regional information on climate change impacts in the United States is also provided in the course. To learn more, click HERE.
EPA's Office of Research and Development and Office of Water host this free webinar series to communicate current research, regulatory information, and solutions for challenges facing small drinking water systems. See the upcoming schedule or past recordings HERE.
Webinar Recording: Overview of Prescribed Fire Liability in State Law. Lawyer Sara Clark provides an overview of prescribed fire liability in state law, including definitions of liability and how state laws defining liability interact with certified burn manager programs, tribal sovereignty and cultural burning, and prescribed fire insurance. This webinar is intended for those who are new to the issue of prescribed fire liability or those more experienced who would like an overview of the subject, especially anyone about to engage on similar policy initiatives in their state or jurisdiction.
Online Course: Leave No Trace 101 Course. This is an introduction to Leave No Trace and the actions we can collectively take to protect our planet. In this course we share helpful information with a simple framework of minimum impact practices to apply when spending time outdoors.
Watershed Academy’s new Hazard Mitigation Planning and Water Resource Management Module Ready - The EPA Watershed Academy has released their new Hazard Mitigation Planning and Water Resource Management Module. This module is intended for water quality and hazard mitigation professionals that are interested in integrating water quality issues and/or nature-based solutions into state or local Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs) and highlights the benefits of working across water quality and hazard mitigation programs. Modules in this series can be used as training tools to help planners from both worlds explore activities of mutual interest and benefit. Case studies and examples are provided to assist hazard mitigation planners with integrating water resource programs into HMPs and help watershed planners understand the synergies between water resource plans and HMPs. Visit this link to begin the course!
The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership presents 14 videos to help community members learn about how water is managed, restored and monitored in the upper Uncompahgre River watershed. Take advantage of this education resource to learn about your watershed including mine reclamation, water monitoring, recreational use, water conservation, drinking water and wastewater treatment and distribution, aquatic life, water scarcity, agricultural use, management, infrastructure, and more. Watch the video series HERE.
The American Stormwater Institute, LLC now offers live and online courses that deal with developing the knowledge and skills required to conduct stormwater inspections. Our courses are based on a “Real World” attitude of finding implementable solutions to the challenges that stormwater inspectors face every day. The state and federal regulations require that “QUALIFIED PERSONS” conduct inspections related to stormwater permits. The overarching goal of the ASI classes is to ensure that our students are well qualified to conduct these inspections. For a list of all classes offered click HERE.
Non-standard MS4 Permit PDD Template and Program Strategy Templates. SPLASH members and SEMSWA worked with CP Compliance to create resources to educate permittees. It may also assist permittees with the implementation of the new Non-standard MS4 Permit. Please click HERE to access the material.
Introducing the brand new NRCareers.org: Your ultimate resource for career development in the environmental sector. You may have been familiar with the PDF "A How-To Guide for Pursuing a Career in Natural Resources." This website contains all the same great information from the original PDF, but now you can search the content directly and enjoy quicker updates without needing to download a lengthy guide! The newly redesigned website, developed by CAEE and the Colorado Youth Corps Association, include career possibilities, who hires, how to apply, and career prep.
The Clean Water Certificate (CWC) Training Program is the first in the nation ANAB-accredited green infrastructure and stormwater training program. The CWC Training Program is now being offered through the CWPA Membership Program. The purpose of the training program is to provide high-quality training opportunities that provides job growth in the stormwater industry and delivers industry-specific job-readiness skills for the under- or unemployed , or currently employed adults seeking to expand their skillset. Learn moreHERE.